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Aussies Abroad | Cahill on top in MLS

The Socceroos are looking ahead to next month’s friendly against Costa Rica, which will be new coach Ange Postecoglou’s first game in charge of the national team.

The Socceroos are looking ahead to next month-s friendly against Costa Rica, which will be new coach Ange Postecoglou-s first game in charge of the national team. Australia have never met the Central Americans in an international, who have also qualified for next year-s World Cup in Brazil. With this in mind there were a host of overseas Aussies looking to impress for their clubs over the weekend.

Tim Cahill has helped his New York Red Bulls side claim top spot in the Major League Soccer standings at the end of the regular season, after they defeated Chicago Fire 5-2 in front of their home fans. Cahill was unable to add to his season goal tally of 11 but was on hand to provide an assist as Red Bull won the MLS Supporters- Shield for the first time.

"It's really special for the fans, for the club, how far we've come this season from last season," said Cahill. "It's a reward for the manager but most importantly the fans.

"This is something that people expected us and wanted us to fail - it's just nice to deliver, especially so soon.”

The victory means Red Bull will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, which they-ll go into on an eight game winning streak. Cahill was acknowledged for his fine contribution to the team this season when he was given a standing ovation from supporters when he was substituted late on.

Midfield enforcer Mile Jedinak again played a full game when Crystal Palace hosted top of the table Arsenal in the English Premier League. The Eagles parted ways with their manager mid-week but unfortunately the move did not bring about a change in fortunes as they went down 2-0 and now sit bottom of the table.

The result could have been much different for Palace with Jedinak unleashing a spectacular volley from outside the box. The vicious shot looked destined to be an equaliser but was expertly parried away by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Scott McDonald was busy in his outing for Millwall in the Championship, as the striker seeks to get himself back in the reckoning for the national side. McDonald helped his side grab a point at the death against Reading when he earned a penalty in stoppage time. Unfortunately Aussie goalkeeper Adam Federici was on the receiving end and was unable to prevent the spot kick being converted.

Attacker Robbie Kruse continues to show form in the German Bundesliga, coming off the bench to set up the winner for Bayer Leverkusen. The 25-year-old was deployed with nine minutes remaining in their contest against Augsburg and earned the assist within two minutes of being on the park. The win ensuring his side remain joint second in the league.

Recent Socceroos debutants Jackson Irvine and Oliver Bazanic continue to show good form in Scotland and Switzerland respectively. Irvine helped Kilmarnock to a 2-0 win, while Irvine-s side sit third in their league despite going down on the weekend.

Socceroos Josh Kennedy and Lucas Neill were on opposite teams when their clubs met in the J-League. Kennedy played the full match as his team took the points, while Neill came off the bench and managed to keep his compatriot quiet in the latter stages of the contest.

With Ange Postecoglou completing his Hyundai A-League duties on the weekend he'll no doubt be monitoring the progress of our Aussies abroad closely in the weeks to come. Players will want to ensure they're playing regularly and in good form in order to put themselves in the reckoning when we host the 31st ranked country in the world.

Socceroos look to rejuvenate campaign against Costa Rica

New head coach Ange Postecoglou takes charge of the Socceroos for the first time against three time World Cup qualifiers Costa Rica in Sydney (Tuesday 19 November, kick off 7.30pm).

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